A printer may create a printed image from print data by placement of colorants in a pattern onto a print medium. The colorants may be placed onto the print medium in an order determined, for example, by the physical arrangement of colorant nozzles on an inkjet printhead, and the direction of scan of the printhead. However, this order may affect the appearance of the printed image. For example, if the colorants are destined to overlap in a region of a print medium, the order in which such colorants are placed in the region may affect their hue. Accordingly, a fixed order of placement of colorants may provide greater color consistency throughout a printed image. However, in some cases a fixed order of placement may produce a printed image more slowly than an alternating or more variable order of placing colorants and may not substantially improve some printed images.